Heavy Metals in Harvested Rainwater Used for Domestic Purposes in Rural Areas: Yatta Area, Palestine as a Case Study

Our plain-English summary of Heavy Metals in Harvested Rainwater Used for Domestic Purposes in Rural Areas: Yatta Area, Palestine as a Case Study, by F. Anabtawi, N. Mahmoud, I.A. Al-Khatib, et al (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022).

The study

• Authors: F. Anabtawi, N. Mahmoud, I.A. Al-Khatib, Y.T. Hung
• Journal: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• Published: 2022;19(5)
• Cited by: 4 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Rainwater harvesting is considered one of the most important water resources in the Palestinian countryside. In this research, the study area chosen for the study was Yatta town in Hebron city. 75 water samples were collected from 74 cisterns in a number of neighborhoods in Yatta, and a structured household survey was conducted with the same households where the water samples were collected. Statistical analysis was made using the SPSS software. An analysis for the samples was made using ICP-MS to test the existence of a number of heavy metals, namely Pb, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn and Cd. The results were compared with the WHO and Palestinian limits for drinking water quality. Considering the metals Mn, Co, Cu and Cd, neither of the samples exceeded any of the two limits. For the metals, Pb, Cr, and Ni, two samples exceeded both limits. For the metal, Zn, one sample exceeded the WHO limit only. Sources of pollution by heavy metals of the harvested rainwater were identified by means of a questionnaire distributed to the households. The results showed that except for nickel and the water collection surface of the cistern factor, there is no direct relationship between the factors and activities that may contribute to contaminate harvested rainwater with heavy metals and the existence of heavy metals beyond local and international limits. Based on the questionnaire and literature: Possible sources of lead and zinc are the roof, storage tanks, distribution systems and plumbing; possible sources of chromium are road dust, asbestos brakes and anthropogenic activities occurring around the house; possible source of nickel is leaching from metals in contact with harvested rainwater such as pipes and fittings which are used to collect the harvested rainwater. In addition, an assessment of the potential health risks due to contamination of the harvested rainwater by heavy metals was made for all the samples that exceeded either WHO limit or the Palestinian limit or both. The Chronic Daily Intake (CDI) and the Health Risk Index (HRI) were calculated. The assessment was made for both adults and children. The results showed that all the samples are considered safe (HRI < 1), which means that there are no potential health risks for consumers.

In plain English

This study measured eight heavy metals (lead, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and cadmium) in harvested rainwater stored in household cisterns in the Yatta area, south of Hebron, West Bank, Palestine. According to the methods, one sample was taken from each of 74 cisterns in five neighborhoods in February 2016, and the households answered a 19-question survey. Lead, chromium and nickel each exceeded both WHO and Palestinian limits in 2 of 74 samples. Zinc exceeded the WHO limit in 1 sample. Manganese, copper and cadmium exceeded neither limit; cobalt, which has no listed Palestinian limit, stayed under the WHO limit. Statistical tests linked nickel to the collection surface type, and lead and chromium to actions taken before collecting rainwater. The study did not measure asbestos. Citing other studies, the authors listed asbestos brakes, road dust and activities around the house as possible chromium sources. All health risk index values for over-limit samples were below 1, for adults and children. The authors concluded the water posed no heavy-metal health risks. They noted only one sample was collected per site.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Cross-sectional water sampling study (one-time samples analyzed by ICP-MS), combined with a household questionnaire and a calculated health risk assessment
• Who was studied: 74 household rainwater cisterns (one sample each) in five neighborhoods of the Yatta area, Hebron district, West Bank, Palestine, sampled over 5 days in February 2016, plus the same households surveyed by questionnaire
• Exposure: Heavy metals in harvested rainwater used for drinking and other domestic purposes: lead, chromium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc and cadmium. Asbestos was not measured.
• Main results:
  • For lead, chromium and nickel, 2 of 74 samples (2.70%) exceeded both the WHO and the Palestinian limits. 97.3% of samples were below both limits.
  • No sample exceeded the WHO or the Palestinian limit for manganese, copper or cadmium. No cobalt sample exceeded the WHO limit; Table 1 lists no Palestinian limit for cobalt (shown as a dash), even though the conclusions name cobalt alongside both limits.
  • For zinc, 1 of 74 samples (1.35%) exceeded the WHO limit. No sample exceeded the Palestinian limit.
  • In cross tabulations with the survey answers, only two statistically significant relationships (p less than 0.05) were found: type of water collection surface with nickel, and actions taken before collecting rainwater with lead and chromium.
  • Citing other published sources, not their own measurements, the authors listed road dust, asbestos brakes or activities around the house as possible sources of chromium.
  • For the 7 sample results over a limit, all health risk index values were below 1 and were rated safe. The highest values were for nickel: 0.72 for adults and 0.79 for children.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, regarding heavy metals, harvested rainwater in the Palestinian rural areas posed no health risks to adults or children.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • Only one sample was collected from each site, so the samples might not represent true heavy metal levels.
  • Rainwater was not analyzed before it was collected.
  • Only heavy metals were studied; other contaminants matter for drinking water safety.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Brake Lining.

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